Currently there is substantial demand for fixed wireless communication systems providing relatively high speed and/or high data capacity from location to location. For example, some Internet infrastructure providers and competitive local exchange carriers (CLEC) provide so-called “last mile” and “last foot” wireless transmission systems using radio frequency (RF) transmissions to bridge gaps in the available copper or coaxial wire and fiber optic cable.
Conventionally these RF transmission systems have operated in the microwave or millimeter wave frequencies, such as through the use of point-to-point or point-to-consecutive point systems operating in the 27-38 GHz bands. Additionally, Multichannel Multipoint Distribution System (MMDS) frequency bands at 2.1 to 2.7 GHz may be employed for data communications as well as bands known as the 3.5 GHz bands. More recently, frequencies in the 5 GHz band have been freed for use in high speed and/or high data capacity transmissions. Specifically, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created a wireless arena called the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) setting forth three sub-bands (5.15 to 5.25 GHz, 5.25 to 5.35 GHz, and 5.725 to 5.825 GHz) available for wireless communication without acquiring a license. Systems and methods specifically adapted for use in such unlicensed bands are shown and described in the above referenced applications entitled “System and Method for Mitigating Data Flow Control Problems in the Presence of Certain Interference Parameters,” “System and Method for Statistically Directing Automatic Gain Control,” and “System and Method for Adapting RF Transmissions to Mitigate the Effects of Certain Interferences.”
Beyond the licensing, availability, and interference issues associated with the particular spectrum utilized for such wireless communications, many challenges face those seeking to establish reliable and economic wireless communication infrastructure. For example, wireless communication systems often must be configured to allow the deployment of an antenna or antenna array at a suitable elevation and/or having a substantially clear line of sight, such as by positioning an outdoor unit (ODU) on a roof top or on a mast. Various electrical components coupled thereto may be deployed at some distance, such as deploying an indoor unit (IDU) within the confines of a building or associated radio shack. Often the separation of such components results in degraded communication quality, reliability, and/or configuration flexibility. For example, transmission lines coupling prior art ODUs and IDUs are often prone to the introduction of interference and/or attenuation of signals conducted therethrough. Additionally, the links employed according to the prior art, typically coaxial cables, present a single point of failure, such as may occur due to relatively minor physical damage, and are often quite bulky and resistant to turning tight radiuses, requiring large minimum radiuses and other deployment necessities. Moreover, the distance by which an ODU and corresponding IDU may be separated has typically been relatively limited according to the prior art.
In addition to the aforementioned challenges associated with deploying a configuration of a prior art ODU and IDU, challenges with respect to establishing reliable and economic wireless communication infrastructure often include the ability to provide suitable communication coverage of a service area. For example, prior art ODUs are typically relatively large devices, generally requiring appreciable space and structure for their deployment, and therefore are less than ideal for configurations in which a number of such systems are disposed to illuminate a relatively large service area, such as that associated with a point-to-multipoint base station or hub.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for systems and methods which provide reliable and/or economic wireless communication infrastructure, such as through the use of systems configured to facilitate flexibility with respect to deployment and connecting of subsystems thereof. Moreover, a need exists in the art for such systems and methods to resist the introduction of interference and/or provide for fault tolerance.